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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Bihar by-polls witness lowest voter turnout among 4 states
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Bihar by-polls witness lowest voter turnout among 4 states

The by-elections in Bihar are a test for BJP president Amit Shah and the new alliance of Lalu Prasad's RJD and Nitish Kumar's JD(U)

The votes polled in the assembly by-elections to Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Karnataka will be counted on 25 August. Photo: ReutersPremium
The votes polled in the assembly by-elections to Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Karnataka will be counted on 25 August. Photo: Reuters

New Delhi: Eighteen assembly seats, including 10 in Bihar, went to the polls for by-elections on Thursday, closely watched for signs of political realignments following the emphatic victory of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections.

Being held only a couple of months before the crucial assembly elections in Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Jammu and Kashmir, the by-elections to 10 seats in opposition-ruled Bihar, three each in Congress-ruled Karnataka and BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, and two in Punjab, is a test for the newly appointed BJP president Amit Shah who recently took control of the party.

The votes will be counted on 25 August.

While Bihar, where by-polls were held in 10 seats, recorded the lowest turnout of 46.42%, three constituencies in Karnataka saw 72% polling followed by Madhya Pradesh (70% in three seats) and Punjab (66% in two seats).

The by-elections in the four states is important to both the BJP and Congress led-United Progressive Alliance (UPA) because the ruling party hopes to maintain its winning momentum not only on Thursday but also for the upcoming assembly elections.

“By-polls in various assembly seats across four states are under way. Urging voters in these seats to turnout in large numbers and cast their vote," Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted on Thursday morning in a sign of the importance being accorded to these by-polls by the BJP.

On the same day, addressing an event in Jharkhand, Modi talked about the need for a stable government in Jharkhand, which is ruled by a coalition of the Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

“I understand the importance of a clear majority and people of the country also do so. I understand the importance of stable governments and people of Jharkhand too. Jharkhand is 13-14 years old now and every parent takes care of a child of that age to secure their future...you have to decide how Jharkhand looks when it turns 18," Modi said while addressing a government function in Ranchi.

In Bihar, just months after the Lok Sabha debacle for the UPA and the state’s ruling Janata Dal (United), rivals Lalu Prasad of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Nitish Kumar of JD(U) have joined hands for the first time to stop the BJP in the state.

The alliance between the JD(U), RJD and the Congress together accounts for nearly 45% of the vote share in Bihar while the BJP-led alliance with Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) has a 35% vote share.

“There are 10 seats in Bihar that are going to the polls (in the by-elections); of these six seats are in areas of BJP stronghold. The alliance between JD(U), RJD and the Congress is a formidable opposition in the state and BJP is not taking this group lightly. BJP will have to contest hard to win each of these seats," said a senior BJP leader who is aware of the party’s election plans in the state.

The optimism over the alliance between the RJD, JD(U) and Congress can be seen in the ranks of JD(U) leaders, who believe that the three parties can stop BJP’s advance not only in Bihar, but also in Jharkhand. The three parties have also decided to contest Jharkhand assembly elections together.

“The by-election is a test case to see if the alliance can come together in Jharkhand as well or not. The performance of the alliance will also impact its future as Bihar will have assembly elections in November 2015," said a JD(U) leader, who did not want to be named.

“The basic idea of the alliance between the JD(U), RJD and Congress is that ‘the enemy’s enemy is my friend’. The greater threat is BJP for both Lalu and Nitish so they have joined hands. In mathematical terms, the alliance should ensure that votes will not get split and these three parties have better chance but given the momentum of BJP, this alliance may not be able to damage the party in the electoral contest," Bidyut Chakraborty, professor of political science at Delhi University, said.

By-elections to another 33 assembly seats are due to be held on 13 September in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Political parties are also preparing for by-elections to three Lok Sabha seats on 13 September, including Vadodara that was vacated by Modi after he decided to retain his Varanasi seat.

The results to both assembly and Lok Sabha by-elections will be announced on 19 September.

Anuja and PTI contributed to this story.

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Published: 21 Aug 2014, 01:56 PM IST
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